Digital Daily

Democratic Debates Night 2: Healthcare, Race and Immigration

Eli Day

August 1, 2019

It’s no small thing that the second round of Democratic presidential debates took place in Detroit. Michigan, after all, is a must win state and the most likely pathway to victory here runs through the Motor City. The pressure for Democrats to fire the imaginations of Motown voters and stir them into action is enormous.

In the country’s blackest and poorest major city, it’s fair to ask a simple question: Which candidate has the most serious agenda for improving the material lives of black and brown people? And who stands on a record sturdy and consistent enough to make those promises believable? Even when it wasn’t explicitly stated, the concerns of these communities hovered from start to finish.

Take just one example that dominated last night’s debate: healthcare.

Similar to the last time they shared a stage, California Senator Kamala Harris and former Vice President Joe Biden were drawn into the arena against one another. This time over the best way to improve a healthcare system that leaves tens of millions, disproportionately black and brown people, without meaningful coverage.